Our Team
Current Team
Will Hall, PhD, MSW
Principal Investigator
Will Hall, PhD, MSW (he, him, his), is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Principal Investigator of the the QUEST Study. Dr. Hall wants to better understand mental health challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth (i.e., depression, anxiety, and suicidality) to inform the development of interventions to address these challenges. Dr. Hall has published research on mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, adolescent development, school bullying, health disparities, social policy, and more. His experiences working in mental health, education, social services, and community organizing and advocacy inform his research. Will enjoys spoiling his two dogs, seeing shows at DPAC and the Carolina Theater, and exploring the Eno River State Park. Visit Dr. Hall’s website to learn more.
Ankur Srivastava, PhD, MSW
Other Significant Investigator
Dr. Ankur Srivastava (he, him, his) is an assistant professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work, and a core-faculty with the Global Social Development Innovations Center. Dr. Srivastava has an active domestic and international research agenda focused on reducing behavioral health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ*) persons. His research is informed by nearly a decade of community-based work with nonprofits in India and the United States. Dr. Srivastava’s research is invested in examining multiple minority identities, issues of identity management and their associated experiences of stress from a developmental framework. His scholarship is heavily influenced by intersectionality, critical race, and minority stress theories, underscoring the nuances and diversity of experiences among LGBTQ* persons negotiating multiple minority identities.
Jeremy Goldbach, PhD, LMSW
Co-Investigator
Jeremy Goldbach (he, him, his) is a Professor in the Brown School at Washington University. His research is focused on understanding and intervening upon experiences of minority stress and discrimination among LGBTQ+ children and adolescents. He led the creation of the first measure of adolescent sexual minority stress. He has engaged in many research projects on LGBTQ+ issues, with support from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and The Trevor Project.
Mimi Chapman, PhD, LCSW
Co-Investigator
Mimi Chapman (she, her, hers) is the Frank A. Daniels Professor for Human Service Policy Information and the Associate Dean for Doctoral Education in the School of Social Work at UNC-CH. She has published in the areas of child maltreatment, child and adolescent well-being, and immigrant families. Mimi has developed arts-based interventions aimed at decreasing implicit and explicit bias toward new immigrants among high-intensity professionals such as public-school teachers and health care providers. Her current research focuses on the experiences and coping patterns of essential workers of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016, Dr. Chapman received the Edward Kidder Graham Award, one of the University’s highest honors. She was elected Chair of the UNC Chapel Hill Faculty in April of 2020.
Kirsten Kainz, PhD, MS
Co-Investigator
Kirsten Kainz (she, her, hers) is a Research Professor in the School of Social Work and a Faculty Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at UNC-CH. Before joining the School of Social Work, Kainz served as the director of statistics and as an applied statistician at the FPG. Dr. Kainz’s research focuses on identifying and describing approaches that promote equitable child development and early learning. Outside of university research, Kainz has served as a partnership consultant for the Strategic Education Research Partnership Institute and as an elected school board member of a small urban school district.
Paul Mihas, MA
Co-Investigator
Paul Mihas (he, him, his) is the Assistant Director of Education and Qualitative Research at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at UNC-CH. Paul’s various roles as a researcher, instructor, and consultant give him the opportunity to work across many disciplines. He partners with ResearchTalk as a senior qualitative analysis consult, where he also serves as mentor and co-instructor. Mihas recently co-edited a qualitative research methods book with Johnny Saldaña and Charles Vanover, Analyzing and Interpreting Qualitative Research: After the Interview. Outside of the office, Paul enjoys Greek cooking, hiking, and going to local improv shows.
Magdelene “Mags” Ramon
Project Manager
Before joining the QUEST Study, Magdelene (they/them) assisted in several research projects relating to lung cancer screening and supporting families affected by illness and grief. They also have experience working with LGBTQ+ youth through crisis intervention. Magdelene is interested in mental health and intersectionality among LGBTQ and neurodivergent youth. Mags enjoys doting on their 3 cats and wife, exploring the outdoors, and taking road trips.
Denise “Dee” Yookong Williams, MSW, LCSW, CFLE
Graduate Research Assistant
Denise Yookong Williams, MSW, LCSW, CFLE (they/them) is a social work doctoral student at UNC-CH. Before moving to North Carolina, Denise lived and worked in Baltimore City for over 6 years. They have experience as a therapist, working with kids in foster care, and working with families and the community through public school systems. Their areas of research interest are depression, suicide, queer youth, and minority communities. Denise is also an artist who enjoys painting, drawing, and using their artwork to raise money for different issues. Their art is available for viewing on their art website.
Hayden Dawes, MSW, LCSW, LCAS
Graduate Research Assistant
Hayden Dawes, MSW, LCSW, LCAS (he, him, his) is a social work doctoral student at UNC-CH. His research aims to promote the mental health and social well-being of people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals by improving mental health services, systems, and policies. Before entering his doctoral program, Hayden served as a clinical social worker and mental health therapist for over five years. He worked within various sectors, including community mental health/substance abuse, veterans’ health, and private practice. In 2020, Hayden became a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Health Policy Research Scholar, a competitive nationwide fellowship to create health equity. When not reading, writing, or conducting research, Hayden enjoys mindless scrolling on Instagram or Twitter. Visit Hayden Dawes’ website to learn more.
Pin-Chen Chiang
Graduate Research Assistant
Pin-Chen Chiang, MSW (she, her, hers) is a social work doctoral student at UNC-CH. Before entering her doctoral program, Pin-Chen had experience working in the intimate partner violence field and gender equality advocacy in Taiwan as a licensed social worker. Her research interest focuses on supportive interventions for LGBTQ+ youth’s mental health and family-centered services. Pin-Chen enjoys spending time on movies, playing volleyball, farmer’s market, and eating great food.
McRae Scott
Graduate Research Assistant
McRae Scott (they/them) is a first-year student in the Master of Social Work program at UNC-CH. Along with working with the Quest study, McRae is a research assistant at the TEACCH Autism Program. Prior research experience includes studying an intervention for anhedonia and its associated brain connections. McRae’s research interests are queer youth, suicide, trauma, chronic illness, and neurodivergent communities. McRae enjoys spending time with their dog, attending alternative pop concerts, playing cards, and thrifting at local thrift shops.
Noreen (Yinuo) Xu
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Noreen (Yinuo) Xu (she, her, hers) grew up in Guangdong, China, and is currently a senior at UNC. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience and Health and Society. She is especially interested in studying ways to promote mental health and wellness among underrepresented and low-resource youth. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and perfecting her coffee-making skills.
Saiesh (Sai) Srivastava
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Saiesh Srivastava (he/him) is currently a senior at UNCA, double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology. Currently, his research centers around the impacts of experiences of discrimination on well-being, ideas of self, and relationships with others in Queer, Asian-American, and immigrant populations. He is passionate about mental healthcare disparities and barriers, and post-undergrad aims to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology researching the impacts of discrimination on the well-being of disadvantaged groups. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, creative journaling, and going on long walks with his family and friends.
Rush Sude
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Rush Sude (he/him) is a Second-year Undergraduate Student at UNC from Mumbai, India. He is a Biology major, minoring in English and Linguistics. He is interested in studying the effect of trauma and hardship on the growth and resilience of individuals, especially during their adolescence. His hobbies include watching Netflix, doomscrolling on Twitter, and playing Magic: the Gathering.
Past Team Members
Mia Foglesong
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mia Foglesong (they/them) is a sophomore double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. They have a wide range of interests that focus on a central idea of how our social and physical environments impact our thoughts, feelings, and mental health as well as other social issues like environmental justice. Outside of school, Mia spends their free time playing ultimate frisbee, doing photography, and biking. Fun fact is they currently take piano lessons here at UNC and have been playing piano for over 11 years.